This is a place for the staff of the MA Voice to engage in on-line discussion about issues relating to and inspiring good writing, reading and journalism.
Goal for staff: Make each day your masterpiece. You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better. Only then will you be able to approach being the best you can be.
Goal for editors & advisor: Define success for those under your leadership as total commitment and effort to the team's welfare. Then show it yourself with your own effort and performance. Most of those you lead will do the same. Those who don't should be encouraged to look for a new team. — John Wooden
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Week 22 — Welcome February
A little lesson in some important student press legislation. Tinker vs Hazelwood was a landmark case in press freedoms. What are your thoughts on the case and how it plays a role in the press freedoms you have today.
Cases like this make me really happy to go to a school like MA because although we are careful not to be insensitive to people I feel like most forms of protest are if not supported then respected.
Concerning the newspaper I'm glad that I go to a private school which allows us to print almost anything we write. We do not have to clear all of our articles through the administration which is a privilege the Voice probably takes for granted. But I think it also makes the newspaper more authentic both in the sense that it is a student newspaper and that we can try to act as a mirror for the community rather than a filtered version of what is happening at MA. It's pretty incredible that we were allowed to publish the infamous cheating article last year or even the gender article/center spread. I definitely take for granted that I have a lot of freedom when writing and I think the Voice should keep striving to touch on issues which are often difficult to tackle but important to cover in an environment like MA because we have the power to open up discussions and expose view points.
I had actually never heard this case before, but I'm not surprised that this has happened before. I am reminded of how much freedom of speech, what we wear, how we act, etc. we have now. Particularly at MA, I feel it is important to recognize how much students are trusted.
This article is ironic because we've been discussing how much more strict MA has gotten, but I came from a school where they didn't trust us to go on our own field without supervision. I'm so glad that we have a student newspaper where we can publish just about anything, and we have open debates on how to improve the school. I think students should be more aware of how much we ask for and be grateful of the freedoms we already have.
MA hosts a variety of opinions and people aren't afraid to present them. I mean, there are an innumerable amount of student wearing t-shirts representing some cause or other. Granted, we are often very politically correct, afraid to "hurt someone's feelings," but that doesn't mean we don't express ourselves.
What struck me most about this article was the fact that administrators explained their actions to students by saying that they were too young to have an opinion. It is remarkable to me that amidst a clear demonstration of dissent and intolerance over a war, adults relied on the qualification of age to show emotion.
I feel so lucky to attend MA after reading about the open threats of violence and suspension for expressing viewpoints. I also feel somewhat guilty for not realizing how many political and expressive freedoms I have at MA and will undoubtedly have for the rest of my educational career. MA students are not treated like "kids" but rather as people with worthy opinions. Rather than feeling as if it is necessary to hide personal opinions, MA students are encouraged to be involved in politics and express personal beliefs inside and outside of the classroom.
It is easy for all of us to get caught up in saying that the administration no longer places any trust in MA students and that our school is becoming more and more institutionalized. We must remember that we take for granted many of the unspoken freedoms and trust that we all enjoy on a daily basis and be grateful to attend a school that respects us as individuals.
I agree with Emily that it is interesting throughout this case they mentioned students were too young to have an opinion. Students are supposed to go to school to help develop opinions and to have a mind of their own. These students are going to be the future leaders of the world. How can they do so successfully without being able to have opinions?
I feel fortunate to attend a school like MA where people are able to express many of their ideas freely. Also, where having your own opinion is not looked down upon, but rather encouraged. However, I tend to take it forgranted how much freedom I do have. Many students at MA, myself included, tend to reflect on the freedom that we used to have. Although it may be true that we do not have the same amount of freedom as we used to have, but at the same time we still have a lot more freedom than other schools. For example, the Voice covers sensative topics sometimes, and we are still allowed to run it without the consent of the Head of School (like some schools have to do). If this is not a sign of freedom, I do not know what is. I think we all need to look at the freedom we do have and be greatful rather than ponder on the greater amount of freedom we had in the past.
Lke everyone else said, this just made me realize how incredibly fortunate I am to go to a school like MA. I am so glad that we are able to print articles that we deem apropriate without worrying about faculty censorship. After hearing about things like this I always am much more aware of the amount of power and responsibility that we have in journalism. We are aboe to chose which events are most important to the entire community. We also have the ability to bring to light issues that are not often talked about on the campus if we feel that it is necessary. I feel privileged that the administration trusts us with this.
Like Emily, I was also struck by the fact that the administration in the case explained their actions by saying that students were too young to have an opinion. This was startling to me because is completely hypocritical. It goes against the point of giving young people an education. Again, I am grateful that MA recognizes this and gives us as much freedom with our shoices as we have.
Freedom of speech is one of the most important values I hold and one of the reasons I'm glad I live in the US. Free speech is something we all take quite for granted, and cases like Tinker v. Des Moines remind us that the freedom we have didn't come without a fight. The culture of "kids should learn, not teach" is something I'm fundamentally opposed to, and it's easy to forget that not everyone grows up in a supportive, interactive environment like we get at MA. I think it's important to remember the history and work that went into the privilege we all have as students and writers. And we should never abuse that power, because, as Mary likes to remind us, in any case about censorship, the school will usually win, and Tinker is a rare exception.
I think it is spectacular that the students in the 'Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District' case stood up for themselves in school and took the issue through the court system. It is interesting to think how a similar situation would play out at MA. There are some things the school just cannot allow, like the support of racist groups or violence. However, like people mentioned in previous comments, MA virtually always allows, if not supports, protests against wars, human rights violations, previous presidents…
Especially this year, many students have shown dissatisfaction with the control administrators have of the school. The general opinion seems to be that the student voice is being lost. I fully support the students’ role in the school and their opinions, but I feel much of this sort of complaint is unwarranted. I cannot iterate enough how many freedoms we have at MA, and how much our opinion IS valued and listened to. I attended a Catholic school for 10 years prior to MA, and am grateful for how large our role is in the school comparatively. Though increased student participation in the running of MA is always beneficial, I think everyone should value the role we already play.
What struck me about this article was the contrast between the school in the story and MA. I think everyone who goes to MA is more lucky than they realize because they are able to express almost any viewpoint that they would want to without fear of serious repercussions. MA presents its students with a lot of liberty, and it teaches us that when people disagree on something, it isn't always a bad thing.
Like Emily, I was amazed at the explanations of the administrators, and at the view of Justice Black. The idea that students should have no right to express their point of view, and should sit back and take everything in without offering their own opinions strikes me as odd. Since a person's childhood is the most important developmental stage in a person's life, shouldn't people learn to speak out and perform leadership at a young age, so that, when it is their generation's turn, they can take over from their parents, mentors, and teachers? At MA, this kind of leadership and outspokenness is encouraged, which is something that sets MA apart from many other schools.
Like a lot of people have already mentioned, I also agree with the sentiment that it us easy to overlook the freedom we have at MA. There is never an issue when students want to discuss and protest political and social issues. The Tinker case, though, laid the foundation for "the voice" we are able to exercise at school.
Examining this case, it is impressive to see just how far our society has come in the last 50 years. Just half a century ago students were prohibited from wearing armbands. The comments that Justice Hugo Black made were astonishing.
"It may be that the Nation has outworn the old-fashioned slogan that 'children are to be seen not heard,' but one may, I hope, be permitted to harbor the thought that taxpayers send children to school on the premise that at their age they need to learn, not teach."
Yes, students are in school to learn, but just as we experience at MA, students can teach other and even adults about a variety of subjects. This is just one example of something we can learn from the Tinker case. Just as it is easy to criticize the way things were in the past, we must look at our own classroom environment with a willingness to improve. But, we still can not forget how good we really have it.
11 comments:
Cases like this make me really happy to go to a school like MA because although we are careful not to be insensitive to people I feel like most forms of protest are if not supported then respected.
Concerning the newspaper I'm glad that I go to a private school which allows us to print almost anything we write. We do not have to clear all of our articles through the administration which is a privilege the Voice probably takes for granted. But I think it also makes the newspaper more authentic both in the sense that it is a student newspaper and that we can try to act as a mirror for the community rather than a filtered version of what is happening at MA. It's pretty incredible that we were allowed to publish the infamous cheating article last year or even the gender article/center spread. I definitely take for granted that I have a lot of freedom when writing and I think the Voice should keep striving to touch on issues which are often difficult to tackle but important to cover in an environment like MA because we have the power to open up discussions and expose view points.
I had actually never heard this case before, but I'm not surprised that this has happened before. I am reminded of how much freedom of speech, what we wear, how we act, etc. we have now. Particularly at MA, I feel it is important to recognize how much students are trusted.
This article is ironic because we've been discussing how much more strict MA has gotten, but I came from a school where they didn't trust us to go on our own field without supervision. I'm so glad that we have a student newspaper where we can publish just about anything, and we have open debates on how to improve the school. I think students should be more aware of how much we ask for and be grateful of the freedoms we already have.
MA hosts a variety of opinions and people aren't afraid to present them. I mean, there are an innumerable amount of student wearing t-shirts representing some cause or other. Granted, we are often very politically correct, afraid to "hurt someone's feelings," but that doesn't mean we don't express ourselves.
What struck me most about this article was the fact that administrators explained their actions to students by saying that they were too young to have an opinion. It is remarkable to me that amidst a clear demonstration of dissent and intolerance over a war, adults relied on the qualification of age to show emotion.
I feel so lucky to attend MA after reading about the open threats of violence and suspension for expressing viewpoints. I also feel somewhat guilty for not realizing how many political and expressive freedoms I have at MA and will undoubtedly have for the rest of my educational career. MA students are not treated like "kids" but rather as people with worthy opinions. Rather than feeling as if it is necessary to hide personal opinions, MA students are encouraged to be involved in politics and express personal beliefs inside and outside of the classroom.
It is easy for all of us to get caught up in saying that the administration no longer places any trust in MA students and that our school is becoming more and more institutionalized. We must remember that we take for granted many of the unspoken freedoms and trust that we all enjoy on a daily basis and be grateful to attend a school that respects us as individuals.
I agree with Emily that it is interesting throughout this case they mentioned students were too young to have an opinion. Students are supposed to go to school to help develop opinions and to have a mind of their own. These students are going to be the future leaders of the world. How can they do so successfully without being able to have opinions?
I feel fortunate to attend a school like MA where people are able to express many of their ideas freely. Also, where having your own opinion is not looked down upon, but rather encouraged. However, I tend to take it forgranted how much freedom I do have. Many students at MA, myself included, tend to reflect on the freedom that we used to have. Although it may be true that we do not have the same amount of freedom as we used to have, but at the same time we still have a lot more freedom than other schools. For example, the Voice covers sensative topics sometimes, and we are still allowed to run it without the consent of the Head of School (like some schools have to do). If this is not a sign of freedom, I do not know what is. I think we all need to look at the freedom we do have and be greatful rather than ponder on the greater amount of freedom we had in the past.
Lke everyone else said, this just made me realize how incredibly fortunate I am to go to a school like MA. I am so glad that we are able to print articles that we deem apropriate without worrying about faculty censorship. After hearing about things like this I always am much more aware of the amount of power and responsibility that we have in journalism. We are aboe to chose which events are most important to the entire community. We also have the ability to bring to light issues that are not often talked about on the campus if we feel that it is necessary. I feel privileged that the administration trusts us with this.
Like Emily, I was also struck by the fact that the administration in the case explained their actions by saying that students were too young to have an opinion. This was startling to me because is completely hypocritical. It goes against the point of giving young people an education. Again, I am grateful that MA recognizes this and gives us as much freedom with our shoices as we have.
-olivia powers
Freedom of speech is one of the most important values I hold and one of the reasons I'm glad I live in the US. Free speech is something we all take quite for granted, and cases like Tinker v. Des Moines remind us that the freedom we have didn't come without a fight. The culture of "kids should learn, not teach" is something I'm fundamentally opposed to, and it's easy to forget that not everyone grows up in a supportive, interactive environment like we get at MA. I think it's important to remember the history and work that went into the privilege we all have as students and writers. And we should never abuse that power, because, as Mary likes to remind us, in any case about censorship, the school will usually win, and Tinker is a rare exception.
I think it is spectacular that the students in the 'Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District' case stood up for themselves in school and took the issue through the court system. It is interesting to think how a similar situation would play out at MA. There are some things the school just cannot allow, like the support of racist groups or violence. However, like people mentioned in previous comments, MA virtually always allows, if not supports, protests against wars, human rights violations, previous presidents…
Especially this year, many students have shown dissatisfaction with the control administrators have of the school. The general opinion seems to be that the student voice is being lost. I fully support the students’ role in the school and their opinions, but I feel much of this sort of complaint is unwarranted. I cannot iterate enough how many freedoms we have at MA, and how much our opinion IS valued and listened to. I attended a Catholic school for 10 years prior to MA, and am grateful for how large our role is in the school comparatively. Though increased student participation in the running of MA is always beneficial, I think everyone should value the role we already play.
What struck me about this article was the contrast between the school in the story and MA. I think everyone who goes to MA is more lucky than they realize because they are able to express almost any viewpoint that they would want to without fear of serious repercussions. MA presents its students with a lot of liberty, and it teaches us that when people disagree on something, it isn't always a bad thing.
Like Emily, I was amazed at the explanations of the administrators, and at the view of Justice Black. The idea that students should have no right to express their point of view, and should sit back and take everything in without offering their own opinions strikes me as odd. Since a person's childhood is the most important developmental stage in a person's life, shouldn't people learn to speak out and perform leadership at a young age, so that, when it is their generation's turn, they can take over from their parents, mentors, and teachers? At MA, this kind of leadership and outspokenness is encouraged, which is something that sets MA apart from many other schools.
Like a lot of people have already mentioned, I also agree with the sentiment that it us easy to overlook the freedom we have at MA. There is never an issue when students want to discuss and protest political and social issues. The Tinker case, though, laid the foundation for "the voice" we are able to exercise at school.
Examining this case, it is impressive to see just how far our society has come in the last 50 years. Just half a century ago students were prohibited from wearing armbands. The comments that Justice Hugo Black made were astonishing.
"It may be that the Nation has outworn the old-fashioned slogan that 'children are to be seen not heard,' but one may, I hope, be permitted to harbor the thought that taxpayers send children to school on the premise that at their age they need to learn, not teach."
Yes, students are in school to learn, but just as we experience at MA, students can teach other and even adults about a variety of subjects. This is just one example of something we can learn from the Tinker case. Just as it is easy to criticize the way things were in the past, we must look at our own classroom environment with a willingness to improve. But, we still can not forget how good we really have it.
adam
my comment was left for the february post, i thought it was a leap year, thats why i posted a day late
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